Rep. Collin Peterson among few Dems supporting measure condeming president's executive action

Rep. Collin Peterson among few Dems supporting measure condeming president's executive action

December 5, 2014 at 2:44AM
Department heads at Busch Agricultural Resources had the opportunity to ask Collin Peterson questions. ] GLEN STUBBE * gstubbe@startribune.com Wednesday, October 29, 2014 Rep Collin Peterson toured the Busch Agricultural Resources in Moorhead, Minnesota, one of two malting operations for Anheuser Busch with plant manager Judd Carlson.
Rep. Collin Peterson, seen campaigning in October. (Tom Wallace — DML - Star Tribune/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

WASHINGTON -- Rep. Collin Peterson was among only three Democrats Thursday who supported a symbolic vote banning the executive branch from deferring deportation of undocumented immigrants -- a direct aim at President Barack Obama's November executive order on immigration.

The vote was not attached to any measure to fund the federal government to the chagrin of some Republicans including Rep. Michele Bachmann. She skipped the vote Thursday. Republican Reps. John Kline and Erik Paulsen both supported the measure. The Dems all voted against it.

"I just disagreed with the way the president handled it," Peterson said, a couple hours after the vote. "I just think it's going to poison the well so we won't get anything else done."

He noted Thursday's measure was "imperfect" and "mostly symbolic."

Peterson, who was a Republican target last month in his Republican-leaning Seventh Congressional District, takes pride in brokering deals with the other side of the aisle to accomplish legislation.

He often notes the farm bill, which he nursed for years, picked up votes from both GOP House Speaker John Boehner and Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.

"I don't think this (immigration) should be done with executive orders," he said. "Especially when it caused commotion on the other side. I think it's going to make it very difficult to get anything else done."

about the writer

about the writer

allison.sherry@startribune.com

More from No Section

See More
FILE -- A rent deposit slot at an apartment complex in Tucker, Ga., on July 21, 2020. As an eviction crisis has seemed increasingly likely this summer, everyone in the housing market has made the same plea to Washington: Send money — lots of it — that would keep renters in their homes and landlords afloat. (Melissa Golden/The New York Times) ORG XMIT: XNYT58
Melissa Golden/The New York Times

It’s too soon to tell how much the immigration crackdown is to blame.